That Which Matters Most
by I-love-u-long-time
Summary: Ana recounts on her feelings for Arthur and how she had met her 'Prince Charming'. Arthur/OC


**I came up with this while listening to Dreams by The Cranberries. Soooo, Arthur doesn't make an actual appearance in this one, but he's mentioned, and this one shot doesn't really make a difference to the whole story, I just felt like writing something cute and fluffyish lol. Other than that there's nothing you need to know about it. So, enjoy! Review, all that jazz :D**

**Disclaimer - I don't own anything recognisable, except Ana by now hehe**

* * *

Years ago, if Ana was asked of her feelings for him, her dearest friend, her answer would be exactly that; "He's a great guy. Understanding, helpful, trustworthy, he'll do anything for the people he cares about. He's just...Arthur...What more could you want in a friend?"  
Never would she have thought that he would one day mean more to her than she could possibly imagine.

When she was a little girl she dreamed of her Prince Charming - he'd be handsome, brave, carefree, with hair that would appear to dance with the wind, and he would come riding up on a white horse and whisking her away to a perfect life of harmless fun. She'd had him pictured completely, and she did not expect that her Prince Charming would look nothing like how she imagined, but rather tall, dark and handsome. But as she had learned you cannot choose who you fall in love with, and it can come in strange packages, whether it be the manly nobleman willing to stop at nothing for the woman he loves, or the calm and collected best friend.

And it had hit her, out of the blue that the answer – her answer, had been right in front of her for all these years.

Arthur was always there when she needed him, whenever a relationship ended badly and a man would show his true colours, Arthur was the first person she turned to, he was her shoulder to cry on. If she ever needed someone to talk to without fear of crossing any uncomfortable areas, almost, Arthur was first in mind. Or if she simply wanted some company with perfectly risk free entertainment (in which case Eames would be the man she'd seek), Arthur was happy for her to turn up on his doorstep. He was her rock – as she was for him, someone she was thankful to have in her life. And now with nothing more than a change of expression aimed at her, her heart would race as if each thud would be its last.

But with the good there was always a bad, and countless thoughts would worry Ana to no end. What if at some point Arthur turned his back on her, like all of the others, he certainly knew enough about her to do so. But she dropped that point just as quickly as she had brought it up; Arthur would never do such a thing, and he would especially not start with her. What, though, if he didn't return her constantly strengthened adoration, in the same ways as she felt for him. Then again what if he did, and then at some point some tragedy were to arise to demolish everything between them, that they had spent more than a decade to build. They concerned her, and caused her seemingly endless bouts of anxiety. So, not wanting to bear the heart wrenching grief of losing Arthur, she limited her affection to playful flirting, as they always have, and silent longing gazes from afar when she felt no one would notice.

However, those meaningful glances had not been so private as she thought, and before long Eames had confronted her claiming her knew her 'dirty little secret' as he called it.

Oh, Eames. How she loved him, not in the same ways she loved Arthur of course, as a brother. Oftentimes it was uncertain whether she was the younger sister or he the younger brother of the pair, despite him being older, by five years. He was just as reckless as she was. And she was commonly noted to being an eighteen year old in a twenty-four year old's body. Eames was the first, other than Arthur and somewhat Dom, who had caught her interest when she had been asked to join the team, and he was clearly glad that he now had someone who knew how to have fun to 'play with'.  
It was Eames who would persuade her into telling Arthur how she felt, saying that it was clearer than bloody daylight that he was in love with her, "He always has that stupid smile on his face when you're around. I wouldn't be surprised if he mumbles your name in his sleep. He's practically screaming his love from the rooftop," he'd tell her with a teasing smile. But Ana always let his remarks slide, and would always give him the same answer; a light laugh along with a matching smile.  
"Someday..."

And she would, after her second year with the team, and her first that she realised her feelings for the point man, she decided that she'd tell him, but only once she felt the timing was perfect, at the opportune moment. There'd been numerous days where she'd had to stop herself from blurting it out like an idiot then and there, and more than likely having it sound totally unintelligible with one single breath. But she would, she wasn't entirely sure _how_ she would, she figured she'd know when the time came,. It seemed simple enough in the movies, and from her friends and family retelling the story of how they first got together with their partners.

Then there was the courage to actually go through with it, but she knew that wasn't a problem; as long as Eames was around he would continue to push her through anything she showed even the slightest bit of interest in, and she knew that there was only one way out when Eames was involved, simply stating that you were too afraid or too nervous was not letting you off the hook. Not unless it was anything life threatening, to which even he would look for the nearest exit if it were too risky. And either way she was certain that Arthur would never offend her, not in a million years, because, whether or not it was in a similar context, he cared for her more than anything or anyone.

Sometimes she found herself wondering how she had fallen for him so deeply. They had known each other since they were fourteen, and although at first he was noticeably wary of her assertive and rash actions, and though neither really knew why they liked the other, other than the fact that they were 'nice', they had formed a bond almost instantly and Ana had found her way through his hard shell, while Arthur became one of the few who could calm her otherwise untameable nature. Since then they had spent a considerable amount of time together, and all the while continued to grow closer, and before they knew it both she and Arthur could not imagine what their lives could have been like had they not met.  
It was then that she realised she had always known that she would one day fall in love with him, that she had lost her interest in her childhood Prince Charming at sixteen, when she had noticed a better understanding for the logical thoughts she expected to have filled Arthur's head. That he would mean the world to her, in more ways than he already knew.

And so now, when asked of her feelings for him, her answer would still be similar to what it had been at first; "Arthur is a great guy. Understanding, helpful, trustworthy, he'll do anything for the people he cares for. He's one of the very best people you could ever dream of having in your life. He's just...Arthur...That's what I love about him."


End file.
